Improved Modeling of Atmospheric Entry for Meteors with Nose Radii Between 5cm and 10m

Atmospheric entry studies typically look closely at the peak heating rate that a body encounters during its trajectory. This is an extremely important phenomenon to study because it allows engineers to determine if a trajectory is possible with given materials and craft design specifications. It also allows designers to choose what type of method will be used for mitigating the enormous heat fluxes during entry. In general, it is accepted that during the super-sonic flight regime the body will continue to be heated and an ablative heat shield often is used to deal with these heating processes. The theory outlined in this research is that with a certain set of parameters: entry velocity, nose radius, entry angle, and body characteristics, there should exist some trajectories where the entry body will begin to transfer its heat into the gas that lies between the body and the shock wave formed. To study this, a code that has been used for previous studies was adapted to look at bodies with a range of nose radii of 5cm to 10m. These trajectories were vetted against POST, a NASA developed trajectory calculator, and were determined to produce accurate flight path and velocity calculations. The heating models were also updated with curve fitted data for radiative heating and the addition of convective heating. Modifications were made to allow calculation of stagnation temperature during the late phases of the trajectory. This will allow future researchers to determine more accurately, the phase of meteor entry trajectories during which convective cooling may an important phenomenon

Project management of an integrated iron and steelworks during design, planning and construction

Much has been said, and many papers written, on the technical design problems associated with all branches of engineering involved in the building of a multi-million pound integrated steel plant. The object of this paper is not to add to their number, but rather to highlight the executive and management problems which arise in the course of the development and construction of this type of plant

What is the Impact of Light Rail on Pedestrian Mobility and Safety in a CBD – Case Study George Street, Sydney

1.1 Introduction The objective of this Research Project is to investigate and evaluate what impact the implementation of a light rail mass transit system and pedestrianisation has on the main street of a central business district. The question to be answered by the research undertaken is what the impact is of replacing motor vehicles with a light rail mass transit transport system on Pedestrian Mobility and Safety? A Case Study will be used to give specific answers to the question and whether the results align with the broader synthesis findings of the literature review on pedestrian mobility and safety. 1.2 Background George Street is the original main street of Sydney. It runs south to north connecting the Central railway station to Sydney Harbour. The George Street of 2010 was heavily dominated by motor vehicle traffic with low priority given to pedestrian needs. In 2013 the NSW State Government in conjunction with the City of Sydney Council entered into an agreement to deliver the George Street Light Rail project as part of the NSW Governments Long Term Transport Master Plan. A literature review undertaken as part of this research Project identified that there is a worldwide trend to remove motor vehicles from central business districts and replace them with a light rail system to address sustainable transport needs to support urban development. The literature review identified that there were several performance indicators for both pedestrian mobility and safety that were both physical and psychological. The review found that there is a lack of data to quantify the impact or extent of impact a light rail system has or may have on pedestrian mobility and safety. It is the aim of this project to collect and analyse data on a before and after scenario for the George Street light rail project. The results of the data collection will be used to make recommendations on what impact the introduction of light rail and pedestrianisation has on pedestrian mobility and safety in a central business district. This data can then be used to assist City Planners and Government decision makers in making better informed decisions. 1.3 Methodology A quantitative and qualitative bounded single case study methodology was used analysing the completed sections of the George Street light rail. This allowed for an investigative case study using a mixed method research approach of both qualitative and quantitative primary and secondary data. Primary data collected for physical determinants were pedestrian volumes, travel times and space allocation for the post light rail construction scenario. Secondary data was the pre light rail construction data published by the City of Sydney Council. Qualitative primary data was collected for a walkability audit of the completed sections of the light rail which allowed a valuation of the psychological determinants of pedestrian mobility and safety. 1.4 Key Outcomes The comparison of pre and post light rail construction data for the completed sections of the George Street light rail showed there was an increase in pedestrian volumes, a decrease in travel times, increase in space allocation for pedestrian use, an increase in pedestrian movement capacity, an increase in walkability rating and a decrease in pedestrian injury accidents. This resulted in a conclusion being made that the pedestrian mobility and safety along this section of the light rail route had a positive improvement of the order of 20-30%. The pre and post space allocation for pedestrians shows an increase in width available for pedestrian priority and reduction in pedestrian crowding for the completed sections. Initial data for pedestrian accidents indicate that the number of accidents has decreased, however further work is required to make definitative statements as the light rail is still not fully operational. There have been mendia reports on accidents occurring between pedestrian and light rail during testing and it is highly likely that there will be accidents, however the frequency is unknown at this stage. These outcomes indicate that for the completed sections of George Street there is a positive impact on pedestrian mobility and safety, however it is recommended that data collection be continued once the light rail becomes operational in December 2019. 1.5 Further Work The George Street selected Case Study is near completion which is anticipated to be opened for public use in December 2019. This will allow for more data collection to further verify the findings of this project. 1.6 Conclusions The findings of this project using the completed sections of the George Street, Sydney Light Rail Project are that the introduction of a light rail mass transit system to replace motor vehicles in a central business district has a positive impact on Pedestrian Mobility and Safety. These findings agree with the broader synthesis from a literature review that light rail transport systems support urban development and improve pedestrian mobility and safety

Making in the dark : a South Sea archive : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree Master of Fine Arts at Massey University, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand

This exegesis will address Australian South Sea identity through the lens of contemporary art. It will discuss Moana Nui a Kiwa as the waterway which is both connection to land and people of Oceania but also as slave trade middle passage. My practice looks at the vessel as the birth place of a new culture that I claim as my own cultural medium. The vessel also takes place as human form with the South Sea female body is an archive and a site of resistance

Investigation of the Effect of Secreted Factors from Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Disc Cells from Degenerated Discs

Low back pain is experienced by a large number of people in western countries and may be caused and influenced by many different pathologies and psychosocial factors including disc degeneration. Disc degeneration involves the increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the disc environment, which leads to the loss of extracellular matrix (ECM) and the viability of the native disc cells (DCs). Treatment approaches using growth factors and cell therapy have been proposed due to the compelling results that growth factors and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can influence the degenerated discs. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of conditioned media (CM) from human MSCs (hMSCs) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and TGF-β on disc cells, and hMSCs isolated from patients with degenerative discs and severe low back pain. The aim was also to examine the constituents of CM in order to study the peptides that could bring about intervertebral disc (IVD) regeneration. DCs and hMSC pellets (approx.. 200,000 cells) were cultured and stimulated with hMSC-derived CM or CTGF and TGF-β over 28 days. The effects of CM and CTGF on DCs and hMSCs were assessed via cell viability, proteoglycan production, the expression of ECM proteins, and chondrogenesis in 3D pellet culture. To identify the constituents of CM, CM was analyzed with tandem mass spectrometry. The findings indicate that CM enhanced the cellular viability and ECM production of DCs while CTGF and the control exhibited nonsignificant differences. The same was observed in the hMSC group. Mass spectrometry analysis of CM identified >700 peptides, 129 of which showed a relative abundance of ≥2 (CTGF among them). The results suggest that CM holds potential to counter the progression of disc degeneration, likely resulting from the combination of all the substances released by the hMSCs. The soluble factors released belong to different peptide families. The precise mechanism underlying the regenerative effect needs to be investigated further, prior to incorporating peptides in the development of new treatment strategies for low back pain that is potentially caused by IVD degeneration

The impact of implementing a person-centred pain management intervention on resistance to change and organizational culture

Background: Resistance to change and organizational culture are essential factors to consider in change management in health care settings. Implementation of structural change remains a challenge. There is a lack of studies providing information on the impact of implementation processes on the organization. The aim of this study was to describe the impact of implementing a systematic change process concerning postoperative person-centred pain management on resistance to change and organizational culture in an orthopaedic spine surgery unit. Methods: The study was set in an orthopaedic spine surgery unit at a university hospital. Person-centred bundles of care for postoperative pain management of spine surgery patients were developed in co-creation by a multi-professional expert group and implemented throughout the care pathway. The intervention was underpinned by theories on organizational culture and inspired by principles of person-centred care. Quantitative data were collected using the Resistance to Change Scale and the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument and analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: The findings showed a low resistance to change decreasing during the study. The organizational culture shifted from a result-oriented to a formalized and structured culture after the implementation. The culture preferred by the staff was team-oriented and participation-focused throughout the study. The discrepancy between the current and preferred cultures remained extensive over time. Conclusion: It is challenging to describe the influence of the development and implementation of a postoperative pain management program on organizational culture as well as in terms of resistance to change, in a complex health care setting. In the current study the unit was under organizational strain during the implementation. Albeit, the important discrepancy between the current and preferred organizational culture could imply that structural changes aren’t enough when implementing person-centred pain management structures and needs to be combined with relational aspects of change

A Transmission-Based Dielectric Property Probe for Clinical Applications

We have developed a transmission-based, open-ended coaxial dielectric probe that can be used in clinical situations and overcomes many of the limitations related to the typical reflection-based dielectric probes. The approach utilizes the low profile, open-ended coaxial cables enabling clinicians to still probe relatively compact spaces. The sensing depth can be extended to as large as 1.5 to 2 cm compared with the more typical range of 0.3 mm for conventional probes and is dramatically less affected by measurement technique variability including poor sample contact and cable bending. As a precursor to an actual clinical implementation, we study the technique in a range of homogeneous liquids with substantially varying dielectric properties. The initial results demonstrate good agreement between the transmission-based probe and commercial, reflection-based probes and pave the way for more substantial clinical implementation

Lumbar vertebral T2-relaxation time investigated with T2-mapping at multiple time points in a day demonstrate large individual variations

PURPOSEThe increasing interest of endplate and Modic changes as potential pain generators in low back pain (LBP), along with advancement of functional quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, makes it important to characterize the vertebral dynamic behavior in detail. This study aims to perform characterization of the dynamic behavior of the vertebral bodies (VB) by investigating the VB diurnal variation in T2-relaxation time in a cross-sectional asymptomatic group of individuals.METHODST2-mapping of 30 VBs (L1-L5) in six healthy volunteers (mean age, 40 years; range, 29-65 years) was performed with a 1.5 Tesla MRI at three time points over the day (7 am, 12 am, 5 pm). Volumetric regions of interest were segmented manually to determine VB T2-relaxation time, which was compared between the three time points.RESULTSOn a group level only small and not significant diurnal VB variation was detected (all P >.10), with median T2 (ms) (quartiles; Q1, Q3) at the three time points 88.7 (84.1, 99.1), 87.3 (85.0, 96.1) and 87.8 (84.4, 99.2). However, in some VBs up to 7% increase respectively 9% decrease in T2-relaxation time was found during the day. Further, there was a relatively large variation between the individuals in absolute VB T2-relaxation times (range 73.2-108.3 ms), but small differences between the VBs within an individual.CONCLUSIONThis first T2-mapping study of the VB signal dynamics, in repeated investigations during one day, display variation in T2-relaxation time in specific individual VBs but were negligible on a group level. The result may be of importance when evaluating patients with spinal pathologies and suggest further examinations of dynamic changes not only of the disc but also vertebrae

Domains of chronic low back pain and assessing treatment effectiveness : a clinical perspective

Nonspecific chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a common clinical condition that has impacts at both the individual and societal level. Pain intensity is a primary outcome used in clinical practice to quantify the severity of CLBP and the efficacy of its treatment; however, pain is a subjective experience that is impacted by a multitude of factors. Moreover, differences in effect sizes for pain intensity are not observed between common conservative treatments, such as spinal manipulative therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, acupuncture, and exercise training. As pain science evolves, the biopsychosocial model is gaining interest in its application for CLBP management. The aim of this article is to discuss our current scientific understanding of pain and present why additional factors should be considered in conservative CLBP management. In addition to pain intensity, we recommend that clinicians should consider assessing the multidimensional nature of CLBP by including physical (disability, muscular strength and endurance, performance in activities of daily living, and body composition), psychological (kinesiophobia, fear-avoidance, pain catastrophizing, pain self-efficacy, depression, anxiety, and sleep quality), social (social functioning and work absenteeism), and health-related quality-of-life measures, depending on what is deemed relevant for each individual. This review also provides practical recommendations to clinicians for the assessment of outcomes beyond pain intensity, including information on how large a change must be for it to be considered "real" in an individual patient. This information can guide treatment selection when working with an individual with CLBP